When I was 8 years old, I received my very first Harry Potter book. It was a Christmas gift from my best friend, Erin, who was already having the books read to her by her mom. I stared at the book for a moment, before tossing it aside and moving on to other toys.
Little did I know that the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling (one of my heroes) would become a welcomed constant in my life. It would serve me as a doorway to my own creativity, and introduce me to real emotion. As I grew up and dealt with the joys and pains of life - Harry Potter stood by me.
I was inevitably hooked and before long I was begging to get my hands on everything Harry Potter. I listened to the books on tape while in the car, I kept the books with me always, and I got in trouble in school for reading the books when we were really supposed to be doing math.
As the characters grew, I grew with them. The plot became progressively more complicated as did I.
When the movies came out, my mom and I (yes, my mom is a fan of the books also), would ditch school and work to go out and see the movies. We would buy nearly everything at the concession stands and watch the movies. It has been a tradition of ours since they began coming out.
The point of this post is that even still I rely on this fairytale to explain life. Rowling has an exceptional ability to make the fictional mirror certain aspects of reality. In her books there is discrimination, pain, joy, love, hope, war, loss, and friendship - all things that in the real world we can relate to. These books have meant the world to me and have been with me through my life.
When the 7th and final book of the series came out - I cried. I felt as if a chapter of my childhood had ended.
Next July, when the 6th movie comes out, I will be attending the midnight showing. The next day, I will sleep in until 11, before my mom and I will go out and see it together. We'll then wait a week or two - I'll talk to my other Harry Potter obsessed friends about the movie - and then we'll go see it again. It may sound odd, but it is one of my favorite traditions.
So - now that you have read this incredibly long article about my love affair with Harry Potter - you are probably wondering how this has anything to do with genealogy. That answer is very simple: Genealogy is not just about dates and places, but about learning how your family was shaped to become what it is today. There is no doubt in my mind that Harry Potter has served an important role in my life, and I can't wait until the day I get to share that joy with my children and grandchildren.
Now, if you'll please excuse me - I have a 1 minute, 52 second trailer to watch repeatedly - it is the only thing that will give me my fix until July 17, 2009.
Friday, November 28, 2008
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1 comments:
For me it was a transistor radio. My kids don't really understand what a big deal that was and I'm not certain they understand the way my music went on to influence them.
I was so disappointed when the movie didn't come out this month as anticipated! For my family, like yours, Harry Potter is inter-generational. My mother enjoys the books as much as my older grandchildren.
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